NASCAR lowers the boom on Waltrip

Ben White

Published: Tuesday, September 10, 2013 at 7:48 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, September 10, 2013 at 7:48 a.m.

At 8:15 Monday evening, NASCAR officials made a major unprecedented change to their line-up of drivers eligible for the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Michael Waltrip Racing has been heavily fined and penalized for manipulating the outcome of Saturday's finish at Richmond International Raceway. Today, many people are paying a very hefty financial and emotional price.

The biggest blow to the MWR operation was having driver Martin Truex Jr. removed from the final Chase spot and replaced by Ryan Newman, driver of the Stewart-Haas racing Chevrolet.

According to a statement issued by NASCAR, the Cornelius-based organization was fined $300,000 and MWR vice president and general manager Ty Norris received an indefinite suspension. Truex Jr., Clint Bowyer and Brian Vickers were docked 50 points each.

The point total for the No. 56 car driven by Truex Jr. was reduced to 691, putting him in 17th position and eliminating him from the second Wild Card spot in the Chase field. Newman now moves up into the Chase as the second Wild Card driver.

"Based upon our review of Saturday night's race at Richmond, it is our determination that the MWR organization attempted to manipulate the outcome of the race," said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition. "As the sport's sanctioning body, it is our responsibility to ensure there is a fair and level playing field for all of our competitors and this action today reflects our commitment to that."

The controversy began with seven laps remaining Saturday night when Newman moved into the lead over eventual race winner Carl Edwards. He was running strong and a win would have given him the final spot in the 12-driver Chase field. Bowyer seemed to have deliberately spun his car to cause a caution, setting in motion a chain of events that ultimately cost Newman the Chase spot to Truex Jr., Bowyer's teammate.

During post-race interviews, Bowyer denied the accusations but no one was buying his explanations. It seemed rather obvious that Pattie had given him the directive to spin via two-way radio.

While looking into the matter through the race's audio and video communication, NASCAR officials also found that Vickers was ordered by Norris to pit with three laps remaining to get Penske Racing's Joey Logano into the Chase and Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports out in an attempt to secure Truex in the championship hunt.

Newman, who announced Monday afternoon he will join Richard Childress Racing in 2014, was still hurting deeply over his Chase loss.

"What happened to me Saturday night is the toughest thing that I've ever gone through in any kind of racing in my 30 years of driving because of the way everything went down. I knew this (RCR) announcement was coming, but in the end, I don't think it's anything to compare or contrast or say that the positive outweighs the negative or even compensates for it."

"I am proud that NASCAR took a stand with respect to what went on Saturday night at Richmond," Newman said. "I know it was a tough decision to make. With that being said, myself, Matt Borland (crew chief) and this entire No. 39 team are looking forward to competing for the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship."

To try such blatant and arrogant manipulations of the race's finish during one of NASCAR's highest profile events is simply unbelievable. There are simply too many ways to get caught with every move being heard, documented and recorded through TV and race scanner broadcasts.

As Sprint Cup teams move to Chicago for the first race of the Chase on Sunday, team owners Michael Waltrip and Rob Kauffman as well as everyone associated with Michael Waltrip Racing is left with a deep embarrassment and irreparable damage to their credibility. Having accepted only one driver in the Chase would have made much more sense than to destroy all trust and integrity to gain a spot for another.

<p>At 8:15 Monday evening, NASCAR officials made a major unprecedented change to their line-up of drivers eligible for the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Michael Waltrip Racing has been heavily fined and penalized for manipulating the outcome of Saturday's finish at Richmond International Raceway. Today, many people are paying a very hefty financial and emotional price. </p><p>The biggest blow to the MWR operation was having driver Martin Truex Jr. removed from the final Chase spot and replaced by Ryan Newman, driver of the Stewart-Haas racing Chevrolet. </p><p>According to a statement issued by NASCAR, the Cornelius-based organization was fined $300,000 and MWR vice president and general manager Ty Norris received an indefinite suspension. Truex Jr., Clint Bowyer and Brian Vickers were docked 50 points each.</p><p>The point total for the No. 56 car driven by Truex Jr. was reduced to 691, putting him in 17th position and eliminating him from the second Wild Card spot in the Chase field. Newman now moves up into the Chase as the second Wild Card driver. </p><p>Crew chiefs Brian Pattie (No. 15), Scott Miller (No. 55) and Chad Johnston (No. 56) have all been placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31.</p><p>"Based upon our review of Saturday night's race at Richmond, it is our determination that the MWR organization attempted to manipulate the outcome of the race," said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition. "As the sport's sanctioning body, it is our responsibility to ensure there is a fair and level playing field for all of our competitors and this action today reflects our commitment to that."</p><p>The controversy began with seven laps remaining Saturday night when Newman moved into the lead over eventual race winner Carl Edwards. He was running strong and a win would have given him the final spot in the 12-driver Chase field. Bowyer seemed to have deliberately spun his car to cause a caution, setting in motion a chain of events that ultimately cost Newman the Chase spot to Truex Jr., Bowyer's teammate.</p><p>During post-race interviews, Bowyer denied the accusations but no one was buying his explanations. It seemed rather obvious that Pattie had given him the directive to spin via two-way radio. </p><p>While looking into the matter through the race's audio and video communication, NASCAR officials also found that Vickers was ordered by Norris to pit with three laps remaining to get Penske Racing's Joey Logano into the Chase and Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports out in an attempt to secure Truex in the championship hunt.</p><p>Newman, who announced Monday afternoon he will join Richard Childress Racing in 2014, was still hurting deeply over his Chase loss. </p><p>"What happened to me Saturday night is the toughest thing that I've ever gone through in any kind of racing in my 30 years of driving because of the way everything went down. I knew this (RCR) announcement was coming, but in the end, I don't think it's anything to compare or contrast or say that the positive outweighs the negative or even compensates for it."</p><p>Newman issued another statement through Stewart Hass Racing at 8:19 Monday evening. </p><p>"I am proud that NASCAR took a stand with respect to what went on Saturday night at Richmond," Newman said. "I know it was a tough decision to make. With that being said, myself, Matt Borland (crew chief) and this entire No. 39 team are looking forward to competing for the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship."</p><p>To try such blatant and arrogant manipulations of the race's finish during one of NASCAR's highest profile events is simply unbelievable. There are simply too many ways to get caught with every move being heard, documented and recorded through TV and race scanner broadcasts. </p><p>As Sprint Cup teams move to Chicago for the first race of the Chase on Sunday, team owners Michael Waltrip and Rob Kauffman as well as everyone associated with Michael Waltrip Racing is left with a deep embarrassment and irreparable damage to their credibility. Having accepted only one driver in the Chase would have made much more sense than to destroy all trust and integrity to gain a spot for another. </p><p>Ben White is the motorsports columnist for The Dispatch.</p>